Irene Smith

I’m Irene Smith, and I work with young people.

I write for them. I teach them. I laugh with them.

I’m a middle school teacher of Language Arts, Social Studies and Sex Ed.

Also, my efforts to teach challenging material to my middle school students has led me to become a bit crazy about Shakespeare.

I have worked as a volunteer for Addiction Recovery and led support groups for individuals who care for others in addiction. These experiences inform what and how I write, so that I can help youth avoid pitfalls that take away their ability to choose wisely for themselves.

I am also a National Board Certified teacher, have worked extensively with students who have been identified as Highly Capable (used to be called “gifted” kids,) as well as students whose special gifts have not yet been identified, and I design curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Biography

I grew up in California, attending Calabasas Elementary and Rolling Hills Junior High School in Watsonville. Many of my friends growing up were Mexican or Asian kids whose parents worked in agriculture. I was quite nerdy and socially awkward. I even wore head gear, a crazy metal contraption that was used for providing traction when moving teeth for kids who had braces. I drew pictures and made up stories about them. Other kids nicknamed me "Brain." I was on the Model UN team at Watsonville High School and a member of the yearbook staff, before I moved to Utah in 1977.

My future husband, Brad and I met in an early morning class. I thought he was the most attractive boy I had ever seen, and we became good friends before I graduated from Orem High School in 1980. He became, and still is, my best friend.

In Utah I began hiking and cross country skiing. We had a really cool class at school called Unified Studies, which allowed us to examine the world through Nature experiences and real-world activities. I received a State Normal scholarship for Utah State University to become a teacher.

Brad and I got married in August of 1983 and we had four awesome children, Heather, Keith, Ben, and Elizabeth. We moved to Washington state in 1988. Our kids love Science and Nature, playing games, creating things and being super nice. They make me laugh and I am terribly proud of them.

I have been teaching for over thirty years. I was a substitute teacher off and on when my children were small, ran a small private school for three years, and taught one year of gifted education and computer technology before settling at Discovery Lab School in 2000. I estimate that I have taught over a thousand terrific kids, so far.

My school is a small public school (only 220 students in first through eighth grades.) I teach the middle school students, sixth through eighth graders. I get to teach English Language Arts and Social Studies, and we do a Shakespeare play every year.

We claimed an additional daughter when Rubi came to join us her senior year of high school. She had been homeless for a couple of years before we met her. She is a resilient and amazing young woman. She is also a graduate of CWU and married to our nephew, Bob. We call him her cuzband.

Now I have eight grandchildren: Molly, Evelyn, Benny, Mikey, Calvin, Marion, Alice and Kylee. Our daughter's dog, Tohru, thinks she is the toughest little dog around. Our son's dog, Lily, was the inspiration for Spirit, in Found.

We bought a trailer that I use for my writing when I need peace and quiet.

The people I know; students, family, and friends are the most important part of my life. The connections we form with others are essential for happiness!